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REFLECTIONS: Three Cups of Tea at the Banff Mountain Film Festival
by Gwen Brownson
November 29, 2010
Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival - October 30 - November 7, 2010 in Banff, Canada
Snow topped dramatic peaks including Sulpher, Tunnel and Cascade mountains loomed in the background of our makeshift stage at the Banff Public Library in Alberta Canada during a recent tour of Three Cups of Tea and Listen to the Wind. A young boy in the front row made a shape with his arms indicating the famed “cresting wave” outline of his favorite local peak – Mount Rundle. During this pre-show discussion students were asked to think of the tallest mountain in town. They then compared the height of local peaks to that of K2 in Pakistan that provides the setting and catalyst for Greg Mortenson’s story. Although these children were more accustomed to mountain lingo and understood the dangers of high altitudes more than your average child, they were still surprised to discover that K2 was nearly three times taller than their beloved Mount Rundle.
Over a four-day trip that coincided with the Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival the community was treated to four such Literature to Life® public performances gifted by Greg Mortenson and Pennies for Peace. The generosity of the community was obvious from the very first performance after which actor, Curtis Nielsen, was treated to a standing ovation. This warm reception was continued when Greg Mortenson took the stage and was given checks by half a dozen local elementary students whose schools had raised funds for Pennies for Peace.
Thus began a trend of generosity in our post-show interactions with this mountain community where it was not uncommon to be approached by local school children offering a shoe box or jar full of pennies to be contributed to Mortenson’s cause. One after another these remarkable young people expressed how their experience of Mr. Mortenson’s story through the book and Literature to Life helped them to want to take action and contribute to his monumentally important cause of promoting peace through education.
We couldn’t have been more proud or honored to have acted as the catalyst for these young people’s generous actions!!
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